Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Gambling Act 2005 Review

Lord Foster of Bath: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish their response to their review of the Gambling Act 2005, which ran from 8 December 2020 to 31 March 2021.

Lord Kamall: The Gambling Act Review was launched with the publication of a wide-ranging Call for Evidence, which closed in March 2021 and received over 16,000 responses. We will publish a white paper setting out our conclusions and next steps in the coming weeks.

Ministry of Justice

Coroners: Isle of Wight

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Bellamy on 2 August (HL2019 and HL2022), what assessment they have made of reports that some inquests on the Isle of Wight have been unresolved for over 120 weeks; what support is being provided to any affected relatives; what steps they will take, if any, to clear this backlog; and whether such delays are consistent with their policy that the “bereaved remain at the heart of the coroner system".

Lord Bellamy: The Coroner Statistics 2021: England and Wales indicate that the Isle of Wight coroner area reported 95 cases of more than 12 months’ duration at the end of 2021. However, I understand that a number of these have now concluded but a proportion of the remaining cases were opened over 120 weeks ago.Coroners are independent judicial office holders and the way in which they conduct their investigations and inquests, including the judicial management of any backlogs, is entirely a matter for them. It would therefore be inappropriate for the Government to comment on the management of inquests in a specific coronial area. However, my officials are considering with the Chief Coroner’s Office what actions can appropriately be taken to support the Senior Coroner in this context.For these cases, as for all other inquests, I would expect coroners and coroner’s officers to adopt best practice in its ongoing liaison with the bereaved families. This would include providing them with the Guide to Coroner Services for Bereaved People, which I mentioned in my answer to PQs HL2019 - HL2022, and which includes details of other organisations which can provide support.In addition, the bereaved family has Interested Person status in the context of the inquest. As such, they have certain statutory rights. This includes the right to be told about the dates of hearings and to receive documents from the coroner that may be used in the inquest. They are also able to participate in the inquest by having the right to ask relevant questions of witnesses and to receive disclosure of documents and other evidence. The coroner can ask questions on their behalf to help ensure they get the answers they need.My previous answer to PQs HL2019 - HL2022 summarised the measures being taken by coroner services across the country to ensure that the bereaved remain at the heart of the coroner system. To this end, the Chief Coroner continues to carefully monitor the national position on inquest backlogs whilst utilising feedback, including from key stakeholders, to develop training and guidance for coroners and their teams.As I explained in my previous response, the Chief Coroner is undertaking a tour of all coroner areas in England and Wales in order to engage with them on post-pandemic recovery plans. I understand he expects to prioritise a visit the Isle of Wight coroner area by the end of this year.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Business: Energy

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatsteps they are taking to increase regulation of the energy market for businesses.

Lord Callanan: The business supply market benefits from greater diversity because it is less regulated than the domestic market. It is important to strike the right balance to assist businesses. On 8th September the Prime Minister announced a new six-month scheme – the Energy Price Guarantee for Businesses (EPGB) – to protect all businesses and other non-domestic energy users from soaring energy costs. It will offer comparable support to that being provided for consumers and we expect the scheme to be available in the autumn.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Economic Systems: Research

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to support or initiate research and study into the moral principles that should guide and limit free-market globalisation.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: No research has been commissioned specifically on the moral principles that should guide and limit free-market globalisation. The UK Government continues to be mindful of the ethical dimensions of globalisation in policy formation.

Ethiopia: Violence

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what was the result of the Joint Analysis of Conflict and Stability (JACS) assessment for Ethiopia; and within that assessment, what was the risk of (1) identity-based violence, and (2) mass atrocities.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: A Joint Analysis of Conflict and Stability (JACS) was completed earlier this year. The JACS was commissioned to develop a cross-HMG understanding of the drivers, dynamics, triggers and resilience for conflict, insecurity and instability in Ethiopia and the implications for UK interests and priorities. It is being used to guide HMG's approach to supporting peace and stability in Ethiopia and prevent human rights abuses and violations as a result of conflict.

Kenya: Development Aid

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government how much UK overseas aid they provided to Kenya in (1) 2017, (2) 2018, (3) 2019, (4) 2020, and (5) 2021.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK provided the following amounts of Official Development Assistance (ODA) to Kenya:1) 2017 - £153 million2) 2018 - £116 million3) 2019 - £134 million4) 2020 - £92 million5) 2021 - final figures have not yet been released by the Office for National Statistics

Sudan: Development Aid

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government how much UK overseas aid they provided to Sudan in (1) 2017, (2) 2018, (3) 2019, (4) 2020, and (5) 2021.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK provided the following amounts of humanitarian aid to Sudan:Financial Year (FY) 2017/2018 - £26.2 millionFY 2018/2019 - £67.5 millionFY 2019/2020 - £60.2 millionFY 2020/2021 - £65.9 millionFY 2021/2022 - £27.7 millionIn light of the 25 October coup, the UK has paused all financial assistance to the Sudanese authorities, with the exception of humanitarian aid. We will continue to carefully review our assistance to Sudan as the situation develops.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

High Speed 2 Line: Water Abstraction

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will publish regular water quality data from the public water abstraction points being affected by HS2.

Lord Benyon: In England, water companies have a duty to carry out assessments to identify any risks to the water supply from source to tap, which includes any large-scale construction work in the area. They will monitor the quality of water at abstraction points and, where necessary, put mitigations in place to ensure that drinking water supplies are protected and comply with drinking water standards at all times. The raw water quality results are reported to the Drinking Water Inspectorate, the independent regulator of drinking water in England and Wales, and shared with the Environment Agency. The Chief Inspector of Drinking Water publishes quarterly and annual reports covering drinking water quality testing and results, public confidence in drinking water and technical audit activity.https://www.dwi.gov.uk/en/what-we-do/annual-report/ The Environment Agency publishes raw water quality results. Due to National Security considerations, not all data on specific abstraction points is published.https://environment.data.gov.uk/water-quality/view/landing

Sewage: Waste Disposal

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether anglers could be entitled to compensation from water companies as a result of pollution into fishing waters from sewerage outflows.

Lord Benyon: There is no specific compensation scheme for anglers. Enforcement action by Ofwat can lead to settlements where water companies agree to return money to customers as bill rebates. As a result of Ofwat’s action against Southern Water in 2019 and Thames Water in 2018, the companies are returning £123 million and £120 million respectively to customers over the next five years. The use of storm overflows is strictly set out in Environment Agency permits who will not hesitate to use all options for robust enforcement action against illegal breaches of these permits. This can include unlimited fines via criminal prosecution by the Environment Agency for the most serious offences. Since 2015, the EA has brought 54 prosecutions against water companies, securing fines of almost £140 million. Victims of environmental offending can apply to the court for compensation as part of proceedings brought by the Environment Agency and this is generally the first matter the court will address upon sentencing. Impacted parties can approach the Environment Agency and ask for their compensation claim to be included in the proceedings. Compensation may then be awarded by the Court on successful conviction.

Water Supply

Lord Birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps, if any, they intend to take to ensure that water infrastructure has the capacity to withstand periods of drought without requiring hosepipe bans.

Lord Benyon: Despite the dry summer, water companies in England have assured us that essential water supplies remain resilient across the country. It is their duty to maintain those supplies. Defra ministers expect water company action in accordance with their pre-agreed drought plans. Water companies have taken action to mitigate the effects of this prolonged dry weather using the range of tools available to them, including Temporary Use Bans (aka 'hosepipe bans ').The Government recognises the need to improve the resilience of our water supplies. The National Framework for Water Resources, published in March 2020, sets out the strategic water needs for England to 2050 and beyond. The Framework sets out how we will reduce demand, halve leakage rates, develop new water supply infrastructure, move water to where itis needed, increase drought resilience of water supplies, and reduce the need for drought measures.The National Framework takes forward the recommendation from the National Infrastructure Commission on improved drought resilience of public water supplies. The Government is requiring water companies to plan to deliver resilience to a one in 500-year drought, that is not needing to resort to emergency measures, such as stand pipes and rota cuts.Water companies are using the £469 million made available by Ofwat in the current Price Review period (2019-2024) to progress the infrastructure required to improve the resilience of water supplies. In the Autumn 2022, water companies will publish their statutory draft Water Resources Management Plans for consultation, which set out how they will secure water supplies in the long term.

Sewage: Waste Disposal

Lord Birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take, if any, to ensure that no further raw sewage is discharged into the UK’s rivers and coastal waters.

Lord Benyon: On his first day in office, the Secretary of State met with water companies and requested that all water companies provide details of how they will be making significant improvements to their environmental performance in writing by 21 September.On 26 August, the Government also published a Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan. This outlines strict targets which will see the toughest ever crack down on sewage spills and will require water companies to deliver the largest infrastructure programme in water company history - £56 billion capital investment over 25 years. By 2035, water companies will have to improve all storm overflows discharging into or near every designated bathing water, and improve 75% of overflows discharging to high priority nature sites. By 2050, this will apply to all remaining storm overflows covered by our targets, regardless of location.Our Plan will protect biodiversity, the ecology of our rivers and seas, and the public health of our water users for generations to come. There should be no doubt about the Government's ambition and determination to tackle storm overflows and sewage discharges.

Droughts

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what national preparations, if any, they have made for an increase in frequency and intensity of drought conditions.

Lord Benyon: Despite the dry summer, water companies in England have assured us that essential water supplies remain resilient across the country. It is their duty to maintain those supplies. Defra ministers expect water company action in accordance with their pre-agreed drought plans. The National Framework for Water Resources, published in March 2020, sets out the strategic water needs for England to 2050 and beyond. The Government is requiring water companies to plan to deliver resilience to a one in 500-year drought, that is not needing to resort to emergency measures, such as stand pipes and rota cuts. The Government recognises the need to improve the resilience of our water supplies and is committed to a twin track approach to improving water resilience, which is set out in our Strategic Policy Statement to Ofwat, Written Ministerial Statement on Water Demand and in the 25 Year Environment Plan. This involves investing in new supply infrastructure and action to reduce water company leaks and improve water efficiency. Water companies are using the £469 million made available by Ofwat in the current Price Review period (2019-2024) to progress the infrastructure required. In Autumn 2022, water companies will publish their statutory draft Water Resources Management Plans for consultation, that will set out how they will improve drought resilience and secure water supplies in the long term.

Bats: Churches and Historic Buildings

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of thevalue of damage caused by bats to thecontents and fabric of (1) church buildings, and (2) other historical buildings.

Lord Benyon: No specific assessments of the value of damage caused by bats to the contents and fabric of church buildings and other historical buildings have been made.Natural England's Bats in Churches project has been working closely with the Church of England to find workable solutions that both protect bats and enable churches to manage impacts without prohibitive costs. The project has worked with volunteers to carry out surveys at over 650 churches to understand the impact of bats and has provided support and funding to 108 churches to create practical, tailored solutions.

Sewage: Waste Disposal

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what obligations, if any, water companies have to inform anglers of real time sewerage outflows into the sea which may affect the quality of the catch.

Lord Benyon: This Government has increased the number of storm overflows monitored across the network from approximately 5% in 2016, to nearly 90% in 2021. By 2023 we will have 100% coverage.Under our landmark Environment Act, we have significantly improved transparency around storm sewer overflow discharges by making it a legal requirement for companies to provide discharge data to the Environment Agency and by 2023 water companies must make it available in near real time to the public. Our Environment Act also places new duties on water companies to monitor the water quality impacts up and downstream of all storm overflows and assets. Anglers will be able to use this data to inform their decisions when choosing where to fish.The use of storm overflows is strictly set out in Environment Agency permits. If storm overflows operate outside of permit conditions, the EA will take the strongest enforcement action possible. Since 2015, the EA has brought 54 prosecutions against water companies, securing fines of almost £140 million.